Inside scoop
Ethan Madore
If your goal is doing Big Law in New York, Columbia is likely your first choice. CLS is a corporate powerhouse that places an immense portion of its class into top associate roles at the most prestigious corporate law firms. If you want a national reach and flexibility going anywhere, Harvard will give you an advantage. If you want to do something strange with your JD, you’ll be thinking about Yale. But if you want to maximize outcomes within NYC, there’s not too much of an argument for going anywhere else.
As Big Law focused as Columbia can be, it also has a strong LRAP program and an enthusiastic public interest community.
Admissions stats
LSAT vs GPA
Based on 2025 data from ABA
Projected from 7Sage applicants
Based on 2025 data from ABA
Your chances
Trends
Based on data from ABA
Based on data from US News and World Report
Based on data from ABA
Based on data from ABA
Why Columbia
Ethan Madore
Columbia is in what many consider the greatest city in America, has a wide-as-a-barn pipeline to Big Law, good clerkship outcomes, and a world-class program. It’s less generous with aid than some other top schools: people are always going to pick CLS over great financial offers just because it’s the Ivy Leaguer in NYC.
Employment
Based on 2024 data from ABA
Based on 2024 data from ABA
Tuition & costs
Demographics
Out of 1353 students in 2024, 51% were women, and 59% were racial or ethnic minorities.
Based on 2024 data from ABA
Yes, admission to Columbia is highly competitive. For the 2025 application cycle, the Columbia acceptance rate was 11.84%.
To be a competitive applicant at Columbia, you should aim for an LSAT score around the median of 173 and a GPA of 3.92. The middle 50% of accepted students scored between 169 and 175 on the LSAT.
For the 2025 academic year, Columbia tuition is $85,368 for full-time students. When factoring in the cost of living and additional fees, the total estimated cost of attendance is $119,944 per year.
Yes, Columbia is a highly regarded institution. It is currently ranked #9 in the U.S. News & World Report Best Law Schools rankings for 2026.